on 13-03-2013 08:46 AM
Socialism bordering on communism Gillard and Labor style. ( This will please the luvies and the socialists on here I am sure)
THIS government will go down in history as the first Australian government outside of wartime to attack freedom of speech by seeking to introduce a regime which effectively institutes government sanctioned journalism.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/an-aggressive-attempt-to-silence-your-media/story-e6frezz0-1226595884130
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is threatening to take away privacy law exemptions - often described as shield provisions - which are fundamental to the operation of journalism in our democracy. He clearly said today that these protections for journalism would be removed if the proposed Public Interest Media Advocate was unhappy with the oversight of a media company's reporting by the Australian Press Council.
This removes the capacity of journalists to do their job - it is a not too sophisticated endeavour to gag the media.
The government also risks standing as the one that turned the clock back to last century, with its highly interventionist, vague and unnecessary public interest test on media ownership - which is nothing more than a political interest test which governments will use to punish outlets they don't like.
It will only serve to add layers of uncertainty, huge cost and inefficiency, adding yet another cost on business and Australian taxpayers.
The stated rationale of the public interest test is that it is to preserve media diversity. Yet there is more media diversity today than in all of human history. Moreover, both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Communications and Media Authority already have extensive powers to enforce media diversity today.
The minister has made no case as to the inadequacy of these existing powers. This proposal cannot be about diversity - that false need in the face of plenty is a sad disguise for the government's desire to control the media. The irony that the reference to a desire to preserve diversity is contained in a statement which advocates the abolition of the 75 per cent television broadcast reach rule is not lost on journalists.
The Public Interest "Tsar" will be beholden to government and will act as its gatekeeper. It is a sad day for Australian democracy.
It also represents a profound debasing of public policy process to sit on two reports for a year and then to put a gun to the head of parliament and business demanding passage of a series of bills in less than a week - all without any consultation with the print and digital media industry. Bills which have a huge impact on major employers, thousands of employees, investors and taxpayers in the Australian economy are being proposed in an old fashioned "stick 'em up" style hardly reflecting reasonable behaviour in a dynamic modern digital economy.
The whole approach today constitutes a travesty of public policy and parliamentary process.
Good read here
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/julia-gillards-henchman-stephen-conroy-attacks-freedom-of-the-press/story-e6freuy9-1226595971160
on 13-03-2013 09:45 AM
democracy to them is fine as long as it goes their way, otherwise its murder by a thousand cuts via (news ltd). the very destruction of democracy 'you can have anyone you like unless they set up an NBN that will impact Foxtel's monopoly business.'
on 13-03-2013 09:48 AM
taking another Political Party 'out of the picture' (denying everyone the right to vote for them or not) also fits in that category LL
on 13-03-2013 09:50 AM
Support for this type of social engineering & lessening of our freedoms are not worth responding to.
The day will come when this type of hatred will go from these boards, this type of bulling of posters by invective that would make Stalin cringe will disappear.
The word is this legislation will not be supported by the Independants in the lower house. Thank God they have found their moral fibre at last., they can at least spend their last year in Parliament with some kind of satisfaction that they stood up, at last, for the people of Australia.
on 13-03-2013 09:51 AM
as did the 'children overboard' incident
Creating an incident and publishing widely to get support stemmed by anger and ignorance.
"We don't want people like THAT in our Country"
on 13-03-2013 09:55 AM
Tony Abbott has just stated on a radio interview that IF this Stalinist legislation should get up he (they the LNP) would repel it straight away when they win the election and he is our new PM
This wont make our resident socialists happy on this forum.
on 13-03-2013 09:56 AM
on 13-03-2013 09:58 AM
Tony Abbott has just stated on a radio interview that IF this Stalinist legislation should get up he (they the LNP) would repel it straight away when they win the election and he is our new PM
This wont make our resident socialists happy on this forum.
you haven't (or rather andrew) hasnt done your homework. its going to be a half-senate election. abbott won't have the numbers to do anything about this or the carbon tax 🙂
on 13-03-2013 10:04 AM
I think that the more some media is given credit....the more need there will be in 'control' .Too many angry ,hate filled people may end up resulting in the more need for the most restrictive of environments such as prisons and psych institutions
on 13-03-2013 10:29 AM
The insanity of this Labor government to antagonize All media in an election year says it all about the myriad policy failures of Labor. Gillard got a little lift in the News poll yesterday but give them 24 hours & whammo, they shoot themselves in the foot again. 😛 Oh please stop it. I can't stop laughing.
Labor accused of muzzling press
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy wants new government oversight of the media, demanding his proposed changes pass the parliament within a fortnight.
on 13-03-2013 10:34 AM
( This will please the luvies and the socialists on here I am sure)
I did say this in my OP and well guess what...... I was correct....
No, you are not correct